Tuesday, October 25, 2016

A
book has recently been published about an almost forgotten pioneer of Buddhism
in Australia, Marie Beuzeville Byles (1900-1979). Little-known until this first
biography of her, I learned a lot about
her way back. My early mentor of Buddhism, Natasha Jackson, knew Marie Byles well
in the late 1940s and early 50s and used to tell me about her. She used to
attend the meditation group Byles ran in
the 1950s. Most western Buddhists at that time were either “the Lobsang Rampa
crowd” (as Jackson used to call them), forerunners
of today’s New Agers, or staunch rationalists, Kalama Sutta types. Byles and
Jackson definitely fitted into this second category. Both were strong, rather blunt
and opinionated women, probably the reason why they did not get on well with
each other. Byles was also a dedicated feminist.

She was the first woman
allowed to practise law in New South Wales. As legal advisor to various women’s
organisations in the 1930s she helped change legislation that discriminated
against women’s rights in marriage and divorce. Instead of the fame and fortune
she could have earned through law Byles devoted herself to the nature conservation.
An early member of the elite Sydney Bush Walkers club, she and her friends
spent their weekends exploring unmapped terrain in the bush within reach of
Sydney. As they grew to know and respect the landscape, these bushwalkers
developed a commitment to protect the most beautiful and ecologically sensitive
areas and became leaders of the conservation movement. But itwas
mountains vastness that held the greatest fascination forByles. After reaching the summit of Mt. Cook
in 1928, she twice returned to New Zealand’s South Island to climb virgin peaks
and map unexplored areas, and in 1938 she led an international mountain
climbing expedition to Yunnan in south China.

Reading
Carl Jung psychology gave Byles a taste
of eastern thought and this eventually led her to Buddhism, which had no groups orsocieties in Australia at the time.She brought her own rationalist and
feminist perspective to this ancient tradition. For her, the Buddhawas not a man to be worshipped, but a person
whose teachings were reasonable, practical and humane. In the 1950s she made several trips to Burma where she
studies with Mohnyin Sayadaw, the
greatest disciple of Ledi Sayadaw, and spent extended periods in meditation retreats. Her meditation practice
and study of the Dhamma resulted in several books; The Footsteps of Gotama the Buddha (1957), Journey into Burmese Silence (1962) and Paths to Inner
Calm (1965). The first two of these books are still well worth reading. She also wrote
several travel books and one onGandhi
and spirituality, TheLotus and the Spinning Wheel (1963).

The new biography of Byles is
calledThe Summit of Her Ambitions: The Spirited Life of Marie Byles by
Anna McLeod.Purchasing details are available
here http://www.annemcleod.com.au/

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Buddhism throughout its traditional homelands
is not in a healthy state. A complacent and conservative Sangha has been slow
or even reluctant to adjust to the modern world. The approach seems to be just
to keep repeating what has been done for centuries. In particular, Buddhism in
Japan is pretty much terminal and like
Christianity in some western countries, seems irrelevant to most people, especially
the young. News from Japan tells of a few monks (perhaps ‘priest’ would be more
accurate; nearlyall Japanese Buddhist
clergy are married) who are trying to
attract the young by presenting Buddhism in ways that resonate with them. Apparently one priest runs
a bar, chats with customers and chants suttas as he pours their drinks. Another
priest is attempting to attract the young by transmitting the Dhamma
through rap and hip-hop music. I am reminded of Gomo Tulku, the so-called Rapping Rimpoche -
fancy coiffure, dark sun glasses, leather jacket, torn jeans, the whole works.

Surely there is enough in the Dhamma that,
presented in modern language and through
modern media can be meaningful and attractive! And of course, awareness of
problems and doing something about them NOW, might mean that radical compromises do not have to
be resorted to. It seems to me that when a religion has sunk so low that you
have to jettison some of its basic doctrines or characteristic
features in a desperate effort to attract people, then it’s time to throw in the towel.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Thailand’s King Bhumipol
Adulyadej has died after a reign of 70 years.He ascended the throne at a time when most nations were divesting
themselves of kings and the Thai monarchy has little influence or relevance.
Gradually, through the force of his upright character, his personal piety and
his high-profile development projects he elevated himself and the monarchy to a
position of regard and reverence almost unequalled anywhere in the world.

As head of state, he had to
preside over various religious ceremonies and present the required honors and
titles to the country’s often lacklustre monks, the Sangha being little more
than a department of the government. However, he was genuinely pious and
exceptionally well-informed about the true state of the Sangha, and when he
came to know of really worthy monks he would arrange to visit them during his
tours of the country. Simply by doing this the public’s attention would be
directed towards often previously little-known monks, raising their status, and
that of the Sangha’s at the same time. Bhumipol (bhūi = Earth, pāla = protector) was not just the protector of the nation but
also protector and promoter of the Dhamma. With his passing Thailand loses a
great leader and enters a period of uncertinaty.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

As Buddhism
gained first acceptance and then popularity, it became a challenge for monks
and nuns to maintain a lifestyle of simplicity and moderation, particularly when
it came to food. People were only too happy to provide monks, not just with
adequate sustenance, but with the best they could afford, and in generous
amounts. “They chose not to take soft or hard food or drinks themselves, they
did not give it to their parents, spouse or children, not to their slaves,
servants or friends, and not to their colleagues or relatives, but they did give
it to the monks who as a result were handsome, plump, and with radiant
complexions and clear skin”(Vin.III,88). The Buddha became acutely aware that even
diligent monks could easily become preoccupied with food and even slip into
gluttony. His discourses are peppered with warnings against preoccupations with
food. Maintain “a sensible attitude towards food” he counselled, “have an empty
stomach, be moderate in food and with little desire” (e.g. Dhp.92; Sn.707). The
plump and content monk, the Friar Tuck type, never became a stereotype in Buddhist lands as
it did (and remains) in the Western imagination.

To head off the threat of
gluttony and illustrate the attitude to food he expected from his monks and
nuns Buddha gave this rather startling example. “Imagine two parents, a husband
and wife, and their only son who they love dearly, were travelling through the
wilderness with insufficient provisions. In the middle of the wilderness with
still a long way to go they use up all their provisions. So thinking ‘All our
provisions are exhausted. Let us kill and eat our son though we love him
dearly, and prepare dried and spiced meat. Let not all three of us perish.’
Having done this they emerged from the wilderness. But while eating their sons
flesh they would beat their breasts and cry ‘Where are you our son? Where are
you?’What do you think monks? Would
those parents eat that food for amusement, for enjoyment or to enhance physical
beauty and attractiveness?” No Lord.” “Would they not eat that food only for
the purpose of crossing the wilderness?” “Yes Lord” (S.II,98-9). He then
proceeded to asked them to eat only what was needed to maintain the body.

The prospect of regular meals and sometimes even sumptuous ones,created another less expected problem for the
Buddhist Sangha. Some people came to see the Sangha as an attractive option to the
struggles and drudgery of ordinary life. The monastic regulations contains more
than a few stories of men ordaining for reasons entirely unrelated to the Sangha’s
true purpose, including to get free meals. One of these accounts tells of the
son of a noble family now fallen on hard times noticing that monks “having
eaten good meals, lie down to sleep on beds sheltered from the wind” and then
deciding that he wanted to join the Sangha so as to enjoy such benefits (Vin.I,86).
On another occasion a man stopped off at the local monastery on the way home
after a hard morning’s toil in the fields. One of the monks gave him “a helping
of juicy, delicious fare” from his own bowl. Never having eaten so well before
the man decided that the monk’s life had advantages that the farmer’s life do
did not and he joined the Sangha.
(Ja.I,311) The Buddha berated such opportunists as having entered the monkhood “for the sake of your belly” (Vin.I,58).

Being
entirely dependent of others for their sustenance freed monks and nuns from the
need to work and the complications of acquiring and preparing meals, but it
also made them vulnerable in some ways. Food shortages and famines were a
recurrent reality in India well into the 20th century. If the
monsoon failed one year the result would be serious food shortages the next
year. If it failed two years in a row there would be famine. Naturally, people
would not feed monks when they had insufficient for themselves and thus
Buddhist monks and other mendicants would become early victims of famines.
There are several references to famines in the Tipiṭaka.
One of these mentions food tickets being issued, although exactly what this
means is uncertain. Perhaps the authorities, guilds or others with access to
resources were issuing tickets to the hungry entitling them to a dole (S.IV,323).
During another famine monks were given grain usually fed to horses. Although
this grain had been steamed it still had to be mashed in a mortar before it
could be eaten (Vin.III,7).

About Me

I am not the 5th or 9th reincarnation of a great lama, I have not recived any empowerments or initiations, I am not the holder of any lineage, I am yet to attain any of the jhanas, I am not a widely respected teacher, I am not a stream enterer (at least I don't feel like one)and I do not have many disciples. Nontheless, you may find some of my observations and musings interesting. I have been a Buddhist monk for 32 years and am the spiritual advisor to the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society in Singapore.